Tuesday, April 20, 2010

The Beat Doctor's Podcast Show: April 21, 2010

Well... we were all set to make a return to the standard format of the show for Old-School Wednesday. Instead, we find ourselves regretfully but respectfully presenting you with a tribute mix in honor of the passing of Keith Elam yesterday.

Elam is better known as Guru, one-half of legendary East Coast rap duo Gang Starr. Alongside DJ Premier, Guru basically supplied the soundtrack for the Golden Age of New York Boom-Bap Rap in the early-to-mid-'90s. That's kind of ironic, considering that Guru was born in the Roxbury section of Boston, and DJ Premier is originally from Texas.

Guru had his share of detractors, and even I will admit that he could occasionally challenge Jeru the Damaja when it came to awkward phrasing (another member of the Gang Starr family). But his gravelly timbre was the perfect accompaniment to Premier's neck-snapping beats.

So technically speaking, we are bringing you Old-School Wednesday today (NSFW, by the way), especially when you consider most of this music is... [wow...] at least a dozen years old... I am getting old...